National Republican., 1887-03-09
Henry Ward Beecher.

In Bishop Buffers great book upon
analogy Of religion, natural and revealed,
to the constitution and course OF nature,
an argument is used In favor OF immortality
which has been severely criticized, but which
derives new strength from the death OF
such man as Henry Ward Beecher. Bishop
Butler takes the case of man VINO, in the
full maturity of his faculties, is deprived of
limb after limb, until nothing is left except
the absolutely Indispensable organs OF the
body. If person so mutilated can preserve
his mental faculties intact, the probability
is that mind or soul can exist absolutely in.
dependent Of body or material form. The
principal weakness Of this argument is
that an abnormal case has been selected,
viz, that Of man In the full possession OF
his faculties. The normal and legitimate
case, according to the way In which nature
goes about her work, Ia that OF death fol-
lowing upon old age, when life falls into
the sere and yellow leaf, when the intel
lectual light has grown dim, aud when the
universal tendency is toward driveling
idiocy or, at the best, toward second child
hood. "If," says scientific scepticism, 1--WE
zee the higher attributes of man fall into
decay before the ravages Of time, ON this
side OF the grave, what rational hope can
we possess Of their revival after dcath"
There is something in this objection which
can be fairly met only by such case as that
of Mr.. Beecher The we'll established prin-
ciple OF conservatism of force, or energy,
may help us In the difficulty, and in recent
years there has been no finer manifestation
of intellectual energy possessed until the
swapping OF life chord than that shown
by the Plymouth pastor until the moment
Of the apoplectic attack which Immediately
preceded his decease. II all force is con-
served, somehow, somewhere, surely all
that was best and greatest of Mr. Beecher
did not end when a clot Of blood was dis
placed somewhere in the region OF his brain.
II the purely earthly portion returns to the
earth as 1t was, 1t is altogether rationa
and helevable that the spiritual forces-so
infinitely more rare and important-intact
TO the moment Of catastrophe, shall seek
and find kindred atmosphere and dwelling
place.
For the greater part OF half century Mr..
Beecher-who was not an original thinker
himself-has been toiling with all the restless
energy and high purpose Of his nature to
interpret and popularize great thoughts
of other men, and to humanize law,
whether that law was ecclesiastical,
congressional, or conventional. He saw
God in nature working slowly through
countless ages and obstacles toward bened.
cent ends. Love he regarded as the first
principle OF progress, and scientiic-or, as
lie called 1t, ChrIstian-eyolution the or
dained method of all advancement.
Many OF the old creeds he regarded as
forlorn, and most Of them outworn, but In
30 far as any or all contained a germ OF the
Humanitarian principle, Mr.. Beecher hailed
such belief with acclaim as another victory
for the human race. Political economy, a
science which absorbs the best intellects Of
our time, he rightly regarded as the true
nineteenth century form Of Christian
theology, and looking after the welfare of
little children seemed to him an action
more worthy Of angels than ''loahng around
the throne"
II is hard to believe that stroke OF plral-
ysis has killed this mighty force, or that
death and oblivion have claimed forever the
heart and brain OF so much noble effort
But at the utmost death can only hold the
future; II cannot control the past, and
the causes for which great men work may